Preservation of grain and the like



fPatented Apr. 21, 1931' PATENT OFFICE RENE ANDRE LEGENDRE, OF PARIS,FRA NOE PRESERVATION OF GRAIN LAND THE LIKE.

, No Drawing. Original application filed March 22, 1928, Serial No.263,966, and in France April 2, 1927.

Divided and this application filed February 7, 1929. Serial No. 338,337.

This application is a division of my prior application, u on whichPatent No. 1,7 02,735 was granted ebruary 19, 1929.

The present invention relates to improvements in the preservation offlour, grain, grain by-products or'the like (i. e. cracked grains,intermediate and final mill-products, shorts, bran, etc.) and, moreparticularly, to processes for preventing the alterations in suchproducts which begin in the non-intact cells or grains, under the actionof intrinsic or extrinsic moisture, and which is thereafter propagatedthroughout the mass thereof.

' One of the objects of the invention is to modify the hydrogenconcentration of the moisture adhering to, and associated with theproduct to be preserved (and, more particularly, that of the non-intactcells) so that the borensen pH is above 7 and, preferably,

has some value lying between 8 and 10. (The Sorensen pH is here taken,as usual, to represent the logarithm of the reciprocal of the hydrogenion concentration).

Other objects will appear in the course of the detailed descriptionwhich follows below.

The fermentation and other deteriorating processes taking place ingrains, flour, millproducts and the like is known to be at a maximumwhen the moisture associated therewith contains hydrogen ions at aconcentration of approximately pH= 5.. To preserve such materials the pHmay be raised by means (1) of a base which is neither toxic nor capableof engendering toxic substances in contact with the material beingtreated or (2) of a compound formed of a weak acid and a strong base,(preferably salts of sodium or calcium) or (3) of a mixture of 40compounds of the nature specified under (1) and One convenient method ofcarrying out the invention is to treat the product to be preserved withan alkaline gas such as ammonia. This may be done, by passing theproduct into a closed conduit fitted with a screw conveyor or otherconveying and agitating device and liberating gaseous ammonia from atank containing liquid ammonia so that the gas our- 0 rent moves in theopposite direction to that of the product under treatment. In actualpractise, as little as 150 grams of ammonia per metric ton suffices toobtain effective preservation.

Another mode of procedure is to treat each metric ton of the product tobe preserved with a solution containing 100-300 grams of an alkalinesalt or of a mixture of equal parts of a salt and a base dissolved in 10liters of water. Solutions of sodium carbonate may be employed,preferably, and are mixed with the product by directing an atomized jeton the latter. I

The foregoing methods i. e. treatment with a gas or a liquid apply, moreespecially,-but not exclusively to products containing cracked ornon-intact grains or cells. When the product is a whole grain and it isdesired to exclude additional moisture, a solid preser-' vative materialmay be used containing a pulverized mixture of bases and of salts ofweak acids in equal proportions. A mixture made up of lime, calciumcarbonate and sodium carbonate has been found to give good results andmay be introduced into the product to be preserved by any convenientform of mixing or kneading machine.

The invention, applied to whole grains, has been found to arrest thedevelopment of microorganisms and prevent the heating and alterationsdue to the latter without modifying in the least the germinatingproperty. Moreover, the deteriorating effects due to 1nsects appear tobe arrested. Flour, treated as described, is preserved and its bakingquality retained unaltered. In the case of'hulls, bran, shorts andsimilar mill-products or byproducts, heating, moulding and agglomerationare prevented and a perfectly stable product is obtained.

This invention'relates to the preservation of grain and seed productsgenerally. For the purpose of this invention, and in construing theappended claims, the word grain includes not only whole grains but alsohulls, bran, cracked grains, and similar by products. The preservativematerial may be applied in any physical state and in the form of anychemical compound capable of 9 efiecting the hydrogen ion changeshereinabove mentioned and described.

What I claim is 1. A process for the preservation of grain whichcomprises adjusting the hydrogen ion concentration of the moistureadherent to said grain to a point within the range pH 7 10 by directingan atomized jet of an alkaline solution on said grain.

2. A process for the preservation of grain which comprises adjusting thehydrogen ion concentration of the moisture adherent to said grain to apoint Within the range pH 710 by mixing a solution of sodium carbonatewith said grain.

3. A process for the preservation of grain which comprises adjusting thehydrogen ion concentration of the moisture adherent to said grain to apoint within the range pH 7-10 by mixing therewith a solution containing10-30 grams of sodium carbonate per liter, said solution being used inthe proportion of about ten liters per metric ton of grain.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

RENE ANDRE LEGENDRE.

